Vinnova International Collaboration

M-ERA.NET (Sweden share)

Funds Swedish materials and energy research partnerships contributing to pan-European innovation networks.

M-ERA.NET is a pan-European research and innovation network dedicated to materials science and energy research, coordinating joint transnational calls in which national funding agencies co-fund projects according to their own national rules. Vinnova administers Sweden's participation and caps Sweden's contribution at SEK 3,500,000 per project, shared among all Swedish partners in a given consortium. The estimated annual Swedish budget for M-ERA.NET is approximately SEK 30 million, distributed across roughly 15 Swedish-partner projects at an average Swedish share of SEK 2 million. Award floor for the Swedish portion is approximately SEK 500,000. Individual project sizes at the total transnational level are substantially larger, as each partner country funds its own participants.

To be eligible for the Swedish share, an applicant must be a Swedish-registered entity — companies (SMEs or large), universities, or research institutions all qualify. Individuals may not apply. The consortium must include partners from at least two additional M-ERA.NET member countries beyond Sweden, as the program requires genuinely transnational collaboration. Co-funding rules follow EU State Aid regulations: SMEs typically receive 50–80% public funding depending on size, while large companies receive lower rates. The Swedish portion of the proposal is evaluated by Vinnova on scientific and innovation quality; transnational coordination and project scoring occur at the M-ERA.NET network level. TRL window for eligible work is 3 to 6.

M-ERA.NET call topics center on materials for energy applications, advanced functional materials, manufacturing and processing technologies, and sustainability-driven materials innovation. The annual call cycle typically opens in the first quarter of the year, with pre-proposals due in spring and full proposals due in summer following a pre-proposal selection gate. Swedish applicants must submit through Vinnova's portal for the national component while simultaneously coordinating the transnational submission via the M-ERA.NET submission system. Winning teams typically combine a Swedish SME or research institution with established European materials or energy partners and propose work with a clear industrially relevant outcome.